Each weekend I field the same question from my friends: "What are you driving this week?" I tend the requested information and the conversation generally follows a "oh wow" or "oh dear" path from there. This week is a week of one singular overwhelming response to my "Volvo S80" answer: laughter; polite giggles from some parties; plain old-fashioned cackling from my mother. You see I am not a Volvo man, not historically at any rate. The pipe and slippers stereotype (with a tartan rug on the parcel shelf) is a hard one to shake. I'm only 28 and, although a receding hairline suggests otherwise, don't consider myself part of the Volvo target demographic. Or am I now the old-fashioned one, dismissing a whole brand based on past experience?
Previous Volvo driving experiences include the 240, 340 and 440; enjoyment is not a word I'll be using to describe my experience. I wasn't lucky enough to be privy to the renaissance that was the 850 aside from a couple of T5 estates which I never drove and were remarkable only for their fluorescent stripes and blue roof-mounted lights... So, we're all clear that I'm happy the way I am: not a Volvo man. Therefore I should definitely not like the S80 2.5T we have on test here.
The S80 is a familiar sight on the UK roads having been on sale for six years or so, but the recent facelift has freshened up the looks nicely. The distinctive waistline remains and is now complemented by new nose treatment and some sexy new optional alloys. The S80 was the first of the new Volvo design school and it has been and remains a success. The black test car we drove is particularly striking and I have to say I actually found myself liking the looks.
The engine is the familiar in-line turbo 20v five-cylinder unit. In this guise it offers 210bhp at 5000rpm and 236lb.ft of torque from 1500 to 4500rpm. That broad plateau belies a lusty unit that likes to rev. Meaningful urge is available anywhere from 1200rpm upwards and remains strong right through to the red line. Refined at lower crank speeds, the engine takes on a spine tingling howl around 4000rpm reminiscent of the old
ur-Quattro Audi engine. A low seven seconds time to 60mph and a 145mph maximum indicate the capability of the car and in real world terms it actually feels quicker, thanks to that slab of torque; quick enough in fact to give rise to the question of whether there is a need to splash the extra money on the T6 model.
The chassis offers an excellent compromise between comfort and sportiness. The optional 18" rims and tyres offer very high levels of grip, but the chassis isn't dominated by this factor alone. Body control is good and the steering, whilst a little heavily damped (particularly around the centre) offers a fair amount of feel. The S80 surprised me in that it stays as solid and composed at 90% effort as it is as 60% and only in extremis does its weight finally force the nose wide. Even then it isn't untidy and in most circumstances the front-end remains hooked up and doesn't spin power and money away by melting tyres in the way the old T5s used to. The S80 actually felt better when pushing on a little than it did just cruising as the chassis was allowed to work and flow in the way it felt most natural. It seemed to respond better to the larger forces and inputs in such circumstances rather then the more subtle and delicate role of boulevard cruiser. We found the brakes to be powerful and they resisted fade remarkably well on our test routes that normally push most set-ups to their limits.
The gearbox continues the un-Volvo-like theme. It seems to be calibrated with a slightly sporty strategy that sees it kickdown more eagerly and hold onto gears a little longer than you'd expect. I actually found myself driving in "Winter" mode to try and make the most of the broad reserve of low to mid-range torque. When ground coverage wasn't necessarily my main priority I felt it a shame that the gearbox may have been a little too sporting and perhaps deprived the Volvo of some of the feel of a long legged tourer that I've had expected in a car of this ilk. The 23mpg average we managed in our week is partially due to the gearbox I think although a car of this size and performance can't be expected to be an economy record breaker. If I were doing mainly motorway work then I think the D5 would be my favoured powerplant in the S80.
Adding to the mile crunching ability of the drivetrain is the excellent interior. Laid out clearly and logically, if a little dark and plainly, all major controls are easy to locate and use. The heated leather seats are hugely comfortable and offer a good range of adjustability which, when used in tandem with the adjustable steering column, allows you to find your preferred position easily (this can be saved into the memory for different drivers). Adding to the comfort, an excellent air-con and heater set up is fitted offering freeze or fry on demand. The highlight of the interior though for me is the surround sound stereo system that must be one of the best standard fit set-ups we have ever experienced featuring umpteen levels of adjustment and a depth and clarity only the
7-series and top end
Jaguar units have been able to compete with.
Other than my nit-picking about the gearbox the only other black marks were concerned with excessive tyre noise on certain surfaces, pronounced enough to indicate that the 18" rims may have been a contributory factor but not the root cause. The same could be said of the occasionally imperfect ride quality over expansion gaps and ill maintained urban roads.
Overall the S80 is a very capable car; the word desirable may even be applicable. There, I've said it: I like a Volvo. I've crossed a line that I thought was far off in the distance and I'm only 28. Not a Volvo man then? I'm not so sure that still applies. My justification for this is as follows; if aliens invaded Earth tomorrow and you showed them a de-badged Volvo 740, next to an S80, they would never guess they were from the same gene pool.
Certain Volvo traditions hold firm: acres of space, a huge boot, solid build quality and class leading safety features. The addition of some more involving personality with some genuine sporting prowess and driver enjoyment is hugely welcome. At £27k (plus options as reviewed here), the Volvo looks conspicuously good value against equivalent E-Class and 5-series offerings and is head and shoulders above the 9-5 Aero we drove recently (review coming soon). All that is needed is for the potential buyer to take the leap of faith and leave their pre-conceptions at home.
